The Met Office has issued a rare amber wildfire warning for London and most of the UK, as temperatures are set to reach 21C in the capital.
The warning is in place for most of England, stretching from Dover in Kent and Wiltshire and will extend into Northern Ireland and southern Scotland on Wednesday.
London is set to enjoy another week of uninterrupted sunshine, with temperatures set to steadily rise to 21C on Friday. But the London Fire Brigade (LFB) has warned that while London may not be experiencing the same high temperatures as the summer months, wildfires can still occur, especially because of the drier start to spring this year than usual.
Kathryn Chalk, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “With strong winds and ongoing dry/warm weather this brings a continued likelihood for wildfire conditions through the period.
“There is currently an amber fire danger rating across England extending into Northern Ireland and the rest of southern Scotland on Wednesday.”
She added: “However, showers moving into the far South West will bring some relief to these parts. Then dry weather continues Friday and Saturday extending further north across western Scotland.
“It’s a large England warning, covering most of England.
“We can’t be specific on locations due to the nature of wildfires though, and best to stick with the weather conditions with the dry air, breezy and warm conditions, hence the warning, with slightly cooler conditions with the onshore breeze along eastern coasts.”
The LFB urged people to refrain from using disposable barbecues and to properly dispose of cigarettes, matches and litter, to prevent fire hazards.
London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Paul McCourt said: “We want everyone to enjoy the sunshine but we urge people to take the necessary precautions to stay safe and help prevent a grass fire from starting.
“Recent events in Los Angeles and South Korea have demonstrated how rapidly fires can spread outdoors, even when temperatures are not at their highest.
“The Met Office has issued an amber wildfire warning, covering London, and this will be in place for the rest of the week.
“As the weather warms up and we head towards Friday and the weekend, we would urge Londoners not to have barbecues in open spaces or on balconies, including disposable barbecues, to throw rubbish away, and to dispose of cigarettes carefully to avoid inadvertently starting a fire.
“We’re also working closely with partners, such as local authorities, to help manage the risks in outdoor spaces and ensure the public are following the safety advice.”
Wildfire expert Dr Olivia Haas told the Standard that wildfires tend to happen in the UK in the spring rather than in the summer as vegetation “is still quite dry and ready to burn”.
The University of Reading researcher explained that wildfires in the capital would most likely damage infrastructure and delay trains rather than burning through the city.
She told the Standard: “When people think of wildfires, they tend to think of dramatic events, like whole forests burning or a city burning.
“Cities don’t usually burn, primarily because they are concreted over.
“So a fire spreading through London is highly unlikely as there isn’t continuous vegetation to burn.
“In a way, London isn’t the area where the fire risk is very high… But in the UK there are more vegetated areas [which burn]. It’s areas like peatlands and the moors.
“You get wildfires quite frequently in Scotland. But they won’t be high intensity trees burning it will be grass and heather.
“They won’t necessarily look like the wildfires you are imagining.”
The expert explained that wildfires are expected to happen more frequently in the UK as the planet gets warmer and that there needs to be a “long-term shift” towards addressing the fires in the UK.
Temperatures in the capital hit a record 40.2C in July 2022 and the LFB saw its busiest day since the Second World War, tackling more than 200 wildfires.
Fires tore through people’s homes, destroying 19 homes in the east London village of Wennington, near Rainham, and damaging a further 56 properties.
The extreme weather was once described by one fire boss as “a genuine watershed moment for the LFB and London as a whole" and since then the brigade has introduced a range of measures to protect the capital from further outbreaks.
Firefighters last year received enhanced training to deal with wildfires while fire experts from Spain and Finland have also provided advice on how to work in high temperatures and densely forested land.
